SWORN IN: Two new members of the ECU Board of Trustees were sworn in Friday, Feb. 22 at East Carolina University. Mark Copeland of Charlotte, pictured at upper and lower right, joined the board to fill the seat left vacant when Kieran Shanahan of Raleigh resigned to take a position as N.C. Secretary of Public Safety. Copeland is an ECU alumnus and managing partner for Ernst & Young's Charlotte office.

Also sworn in was ECU senior Matthew Paske, SGA president, shown at bottom left. Paske is a senior pursuing a second degree in psychology after completing his nursing degree in December. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

PASSION FOR ECUCharlotte business leader appointed to Board of Trustees

Mark Copeland of Charlotte will join East Carolina University’s Board of Trustees as its newest member.

The UNC Board of Governors on Friday appointed Copeland, managing partner for Ernst & Young’s Charlotte office and a member of the ECU Board of Visitors, to fill a trustees’ seat left vacant in January when attorney Kieran Shanahan of Raleigh resigned to become N.C. Secretary of Public Safety.

Copeland

“I am truly honored by this opportunity to serve the faculty, alumni and students of East Carolina University,” Copeland said Friday. “This is a tremendous opportunity to ensure that we provide the right resources to enable our current and future students to be successful in their careers and communities.”

Copeland is a CPA in the State of North Carolina and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from East Carolina University.

He serves on the ECU Foundation Board of Directors and the College of Business Advisory Council. He also serves as president for the board of directors for the Charlotte Chapter of JDRF, a global advocacy organization focused on Type 1 diabetes research.

The ECU Board of Trustees chairman lauded the appointment and welcomed Copeland to the Board.

“He brings with him a lot of passion for ECU because he attended the university as a student, and his professional background will be of great benefit to the Board,” Bob Lucas said. “I look forward to working with him and I’m pleased that he’s making the commitment to serve.”

Copeland will complete Kieran Shanahan’s term, which expires in 2015. He then will be eligible for reappointment to two four-year terms.

Copeland works with corporate and private equity clients in coordinating and providing a broad range of transaction advisory services including financial, tax, human capital, real estate and technology due diligence. He specializes in the execution of buy-side and sell-side due diligence and advising clients throughout the lifecycle of a transaction.